The Ohio State wrestling team will kick of the dual meet portion of their highly-anticipated season tonight at 7 p.m. when they play host to No. 21 Kent State. The Buckeyes hold an 18-8 series edge over the Golden Flashes, including wins in the previous six meetings.
Tom Ryan's team will enter as heavy favorites, but the match should be interesting for wrestling fans as the dual will mark the first time that Buckeye fans will get to see Nathan Tomasello, Bo Jordan, and Kyle Snyder – three wrestlers with outstanding futures – in the lineup.
If you're a student looking for Thursday night plans, there's free pizza for the first 150 of you to make your way to St. John Arena and the more of you that show up, the better BuckeyeThon does as $1 will go to the cause for each student in attendance.
Let's take a look at what the Golden Flashes bring to the mat.
Kent State
Head Coach: Jim Andrassy
Andrassy is in his 10th season at the helm of his alma mater, where he was an NCAA qualifier and winner of 106 matches. Andrassy put the Golden Flashes on the map, coaching his wrestlers to six All-American finishes, and an NCAA championship when Dustin Kilgore won his weight in 2011. Andrassy’s assistant coaches also bring a huge amount of experience to the practice room as Josh Moore was twice an All-American at Penn State, while Matt Hill qualified for three NCAA tournaments in his time at Edinboro.
Notable Wrestlers
Ian Miller – 157
Miller hails from Oak Harbor, Ohio, where he was a three time state placer, winning a state championship as a junior. Miller was an All-American a season ago, finishing fourth at the NCAA tournament in what was one of the most unpredictable weight classes in recent memory.
Mack McGuire – 133
McGuire is a two-time NCAA tournament qualifier and was runner up at last weekend’s Brockport Invitational, losing only to Oklahoma’s Cody Brewer.
Michael DePalma – 149
An NCAA qualifier a season ago, DePalma has yet to compete this season and is unlikely to compete on Thursday night.
Caleb Marsh – 174
Marsh is a two-time qualifier for the NCAA tournament, and took his weight at last weekend’s Brockport Invitational.
Ohioans on the Roster
125: Del Vinas (state placer for Twinsburg), Anthony Tutulo (2 time state champion for Mentor Lake Catholic), Zack Durbin (three time state placer for Mapleton).
141: Chance Driscoll (state placer for St. Edward).
149: Casey Sparkman (State champion for Massillon Perry), Nate Valentine (Wapakoneta).
157: Jacob Globke (Middletown), Ian Miller (Oak Harbor), Clay Wenger (Wadsworth), Jairod James (Bedford HS, also 2nd place at NHSCA Senior Nationals).
165: Jerald Spohn (New Lexington), Isaac Bast (three time state placer for Massillon Perry).
174: Caleb Marsh (three time state placewinner at Marysville).
184: Cory Campbell (Elyria Catholic), Kyle Conel (state champion at Ashtabula Lakeside), Charlie Keenan (Steubenville).
197: Stephen Suglio (Richfield Revere).
HWT: Mimmo Lytle (four time state placer, two time state champion at Swanton), Devin Nye (two time state placer for Springfield).
Key Matches
125: Nathan Tomasello (OSU) vs Del Vinas/Anthony Tutulo (KSU)
Tomasello is going to win a great deal of dual matches in a Buckeye singlet and this match should be the first. The scorekeeper probably shouldn’t blink during this one.
141: Logan Stieber (OSU) vs Kyle Bauer (KSU)
Stieber the Elder was a late scratch at the recent NWCA All-Star Classic, so he’ll likely start his quest for a fourth NCAA title against Bauer. Regardless of the opponent, every match Logan wrestles this season is a must see event.
157: Josh Demas (OSU) vs Ian Miller (KSU)
Miller is a returning All-American while Demas has the potential to place at the NCAA tournament. Both wrestlers can score points in a hurry, so this match is lining up as the main event.
165: Bo Jordan (OSU) vs Tyler Buckwalter (KSU)
Jordan is in the same boat as Tomasello; Buckeye fans have been waiting a long, long time for his debut. Like Tomasello, Jordan could find himself on the podium at the NCAA tournament in March, but unlike his smaller teammate, Jordan will likely pin his way to a huge number of victories. Is Buckwalter the first of many this season?
197: Kyle Snyder (OSU) vs Cole Baxter (KSU)
Snyder was the top ranked recruit in the class of 2014, and has faced some of the top wrestlers from across the globe in the past few years. Snyder is already an amazing freestyle wrestler, but he’s admitted that he needs to work on his folk style skills. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Snyder seemingly toy with opponents early on in the season in an effort to work on his top/bottom game. With that said, Baxter is no slouch, so Snyder is going to get a decent test early on.
285: Nick Tavanello (OSU) vs Mimmo Lytle (KSU)
It’s going to be interesting as two of the most decorated high school heavyweights from Ohio are going to lock horns. Tavanello finished last season a match shy of the All-American podium, while Lytle has yet to live up to his potential coming out of high school.
